


Butterfly, Oh How Merciless--

by kazumi123



Category: Naruto
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Angst, Based on a Tumblr Post, Character Death, Despair, Gen, Hair Brushing, He says despairdespairdespair, Heavy Angst, Inner Obito said to keep making despair, Juubito, M/M, My inner Obito is channeling, Or A Fic of a Fic, Poor Rin, So I did!, The Author Regrets Nothing, Uchiha Obito Lives, poor kakashi
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-05-21
Updated: 2019-05-23
Packaged: 2020-03-09 06:11:48
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,199
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18911167
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kazumi123/pseuds/kazumi123
Summary: The more things change, the more they stay the same.Or Obito wants to see that sweet, warm smile once more.Based on @crescentmoonrider's Change, which you should read first for context and have your heart ripped out. This is the aftermath of that fic.Edit: I went back and slightly fixed some mistakes in chapter 2, and added some more stuff (and angst).





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Based on @crescentmoonrider's Change, which you should read first for context and have your heart ripped out. This is the aftermath of that fic. 
> 
> https://crescentmoonrider.tumblr.com/post/161440534843/change

Why.

 

Why.

 

Why.

 

Whywhywhywhywhywhywhywhy-!

 

 “Obito!” Rin shouted at him, brown eyes wide and glassy with brimming unshed tears at the loss of their teammate (her love, his mind supplied traitorously), but even grief does not prevent her from trying to pull the shock-stilled Uchiha from his rooted spot, as the ceiling above them continuously rained chunks of sharpened shrapnel and rocks that were easily the size of a Konohan house.

 

Like the one that had crushed Kakashi.

 

Why.

 

Rin was screaming in his face now, face reddened and tears now streaming down her dirtied cheeks, but Obito could hear nothing but the rush of blood pounding in his ears, his eyes still fixated on the spot where Kakashi had pushed him away from saving him, at the shaking ground where a pool of blood was sluggishly forming from underneath the unmerciful reality that had taken the younger boy from his grasp.

 

Why.

 

_Kakashi pushed him away._

 

As Obito fell backward, confused, hurt, shocked -whywhyWHY- staring at that shaggy silver hair, distorted by the binding of bandages, hand still reaching out towards Kakashi despite he was clearly getting further away –

 

Kakashi smiled at him. And it was the sweetest smile he had ever seen on the other’s face (it was the only smile he had ever seen on the other’s face).

 

The sound of bones being smashed open and flesh ripped apart drowned out his scream.

 

Why.

 

Why did you smile like that--?!

 

His chest began to burn excruciatingly, choking him from the inside out, as if something dark and feral has awoken, malicious and eager to set the world and everything in it ablaze with hellfire. His eyes, his Sharingan (the ones that he had awaken in order to _protect Kakashi_ hahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha) spun and whirled, tomoes dancing to a rhythm riddled with grief and despair—

 

He could feel his hands trembling, and he looked down to see his fingers soaked with dripping crimson.

 

The ground was red.

 

The walls were red.

 

The stones, the dust, the air, everything was soaked in that hateful color.

 

Kakashi was red. And he was nothing more than just red now when he was supposed to be silver.

 

Obito reared back and _roared._

 

The Iwa-nin never stood a chance, their gleeful, mocking voices revolving into animalistic screeches of agony, death, and blood as reality itself seemed to rip them apart, limb-from-limb.

 

~~The world never stood a chance, as it was ripped apart once more.~~

 

(Rin stood behind him, hands cupping her mouth in shock as she watched a monster-in-the-making cruelly tearing everything to shreds with its sharp, sharp claws.)

 

\--

 

Konoha was trash. (For shinobi and civilians alike mocked and scorned the boy who he had made friends with until the end of his life for abandoning the mission to save a comrade, hissing that the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree.)

 

The Shinobi system was trash. (For the Hokage laid a hand on his shoulder and told him that Kakashi’s sacrifice would bring the war closer to its end, claiming that it was necessary for a 12-year-old boy to give up his life for the sake of the village that was corrupted to the core.)

 

He was trash. (For all the talk and boasts that he made about unlocking his Sharingan, he still couldn’t be strong enough to back up his claims, to save a boy who was only able to smile so sweetly only seconds away from being crushed to death).

 

He drifted aimlessly throughout the war-torn days, anger and fury creeping along with his bloodstream, eager for a target. Minato and Kushina looked at him with concern at the darkness, but he has nothing to say to them, especially the former, who despite his renowned speed, wasn’t fast enough to come to save Kakashi from his early demise. Rin watched him neutrally, trying her best to ignore the pain and suffering this accursed world has caused them both, but her gentle smile only reminded him of the one that he had failed to protect.

 

He trudged on, haunted by dreams of a sweet, warm smile and specks of silver and red.

 

And then--

 

Who are you?

 

I am Zetsu. There was an elated giggle. White ichor of flesh swirled around the trees, guiding him into the darkness.

 

Who are you?

 

I am Madara. A flash of red, tomoe swirling in a familiar rhythm with death and despair. But also, determination and warped hope.

 

What do you want?

 

To build a world, a peaceful world, where nobody would need to die. A world where war wouldn’t need to exist to preserve fragile peace and children wouldn’t be sent to their demise.

 

A world where the dead wouldn’t have to stay dead! Zetsu laughed.  

 

A sweet, warm smile, and Obito would be able to see it once more.

 

The world never stood a chance, as it was ripped apart once more.

 

\---

Owari.

 


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ooohhhh, inner Obito said to keep making despair so I did! 
> 
> Note, this chapter contains some level of creepiness from O---!
> 
> Edit: I change and added some more stuff to the chapter. Yay!

Darkness.

 

He was sinking further into the murky darkness, bubbles sluggishly flowing past his frozen form. Lethargy consumed him, his eyelids heavy, his limbs floating with akin nothingness. He let himself be drifted along by the currents. Something was beckoning him at the end, at the bottom of the abyss.

 

It was comforting.

 

An eternity, a moment or two. A sparkle of light, at the end. It was close. It was warm.

 

He reached out a hand—

 

Then something viciously pulled him upwards with terrifying speed, like a falcon swooping down to snatch its prey within its sharp talons. He yelled out in shock, and his breath left him in a jetstream of bubbles, clouding his vision in a chaotic, fizzling atmosphere. He struggled for naught.

 

His head burst through the black, silky surface--

 

\--

 

Kakashi awoke with a gasp.

 

The startling contrast between the piercing whiteness of the ceiling and the earlier dream made the pounding headache that accompanied his awakening intensified greatly, the fluorescent light penetrating his retinas like tiny shards of glass. He groaned pitifully because _everything just hurts._ As he tried to move, his fingers just twitched uselessly on the brazen comforter, and he had nary an ounce of energy to even push himself up into a sitting position. A soft pillow braced his aching head. The strong smell of antiseptic and cleaning agents dominated his sense of smell, and he found himself wanting to sneeze.

 

His surrounding cleared from the haze.

 

Obito and Rin were both staring at him from either side of the hospital bed, their small bodies looming over him, their youngish faces twisted with variations of intense emotions; relief, happiness, fear and slight vexation. Brown plastic chairs were pushed haphazardly behind them, indicating that they had literally hopped out form their seats when he had creaked.

 

He frowned, trying to piece through the haze that still clouded his aching mind.

 

Ah, right. He had--

 

“Kakashi, you idiot!” Obito was the first to approach by literally flinging his slightly bigger body to embrace him a bear hug. Kakashi let out a wheeze as the other’s weight settled over his still numb appendages, but he gathered his strength to at least return the favor. He feebly gripped the back of the Uchiha’s jacket as the other began to sniff and weep deeply into the crook of his neck, grey eyes staring blearily at the ceiling. Obito’s breath was shaky and warm, as he pressed himself closer to Kakashi as if trying to never let go again.

 

 _Ah_ , he thought to himself guilty, _he really does care, doesn’t he?_ Despite Kakashi being an ass all the time.

 

The waterworks was surprisingly short; as he withdrew Obito helped him to slowly sit up, callous hands firm but gentle, gripping him with such unrelenting conviction it was almost painful. All the while, he was staring at Kakashi with such rapt attention, searching his face almost hungrily, his gaze so deep and unwavering it was making his skin itched.

 

Something about his eyes— (They were wrongwrong _wrong)_

 

_Everything about this is wrong._

 

_He shouldn’t even be---_

 

Rin has cried silently into the sleeves of her uniform whilst the boys embraced one another, but as Kakashi looked over to her, she quickly wiped them away. Her brown eyes were warm and bright, full of purpose.

 

“I-I’m going to go inform Minato-sensei and Kushina-san! They are going to be so happy to hear you woke up, Kakashi!” Rin reached out to hold his unoccupied shoulder as she gushed, and Kakashi found himself smiling at the pure happiness and relief plastered on her pale expression. She looked like she hadn’t slept for days, with shadows blemishing under her eyelids, heavy tear streaks marking her cheeks. Like those broken weeks after Obito had—

 

There was a piercing pain in his head, and Kakashi gasped as his vision doubled and tripled in a mirage of motion and colors.

 

_Everything was red, dripping in it, drowning in it._

 

_Rin was--- d-ad._

 

_Obito was M—a-a._

 

_And Kakashi himself had------_

 

The Hatake closed his eyes, breathing rapidly almost to the point of hyperventilation.

 

As the pain began to recede, so had his vision cleared, showing that Rin had already left the room to go and inform the adults.

 

There were only him and Obito left.

 

His skin prickled, as the Uchiha was still staring at him with those ~~monstrous~~ eyes—

 

“I’m glad.” The Uchiha declared suddenly, in a soft, even tone that was so uncharacteristic of his youth. He reached out to brush a wayward strand of hair that had gotten slightly into Kakashi’s eye, tucking it neatly behind an ear. The uncomfortableness increased tenfold at the motion, and Kakashi found himself anxiously waiting for Rin, Minato-sensei, _anyone_ , to come back.

 

“It’s been so long…. Kakashi.”

 

This was all so wrong.

 

He stared down at the blanket, memorizing the intricate pattern.

 

“What happened, Obito?” He asked, not only in an attempt to ease the stifling atmosphere, but also because his head _hurts_ , and he can’t remember anything—

 

_\----disgust--! Why ---- y--- --y fi---g --- world -- ------ so ---- --- wrong?_

 

The pounding grew worse. The haze was too thick for him to unravel.

 

_Rememberrememberrememberremember---_

 

Obito sighed, but not in an agitated sort of way, but more towards like a pleased cat that had gotten the cream. He continued to comb gently through Kakashi’s hair, working out the knots, and despite himself, despite the pure wrongness of Obito’s actions, Kakashi relaxed at the continuously repeating motion, growing sleepy with increasing drowsiness. He stifled a yawn. With every stroke, Obito’s fingers seem to take the pain away, bit by bit.

 

The haze remained.

 

“Nothing happened. We destroyed Kannabi Bridge, mission successful and all that. But you got some head injuries that managed to put you under for nearly two weeks.” He paused then, breathing out shakily as he looked momentarily distraught as if he has just remembered something unpleasant. His eyes darkened. Concerned at the sudden solemnity, the Hatake almost reached out for the other’s hand just before Obito grinned brightly. Kakashi found himself enraptured by the sight. (His heart ached with resounding forlornness).

 

“The war is over.” Obito sounded proud. (Why?)

 

_The war is over…?_

 

“No more wars.” Obito continued in gratification. He stared at Kakashi’s face again almost serenely, searching for something.

 

The cloudiness was still too thick for him to penetrate through. He yawned visibly this time, and Obito brushed a finger over his cheek, seemingly amused at his lassitude.

 

The Uchiha let him lay down again, pulling the blanket up to his chin.

 

“When you wake up, do you want some Miso soup with eggplant? Kushina said she’s been trying lots of recipes to perfect it so that you would at least _say_ you tolerated it this time.” He heard Obito asked beneath the cotton of sleep trying to pull him under. A slight pause. “I know it’s your favourite, Kakashi. Along with salt-broiled saury. I’ll bring them to you later, you’re going to love them.” Something in his tone sounded tainted when he said that. It sounded almost like a declaration, tinted of obsessiveness, reeking of the depths of insanity.

 

But Kakashi overlooked it, because the thought of having miso soup sounded like heaven.

 

“Only if you wouldn’t complain about Kushina showing favouritism like last time again.” He nuzzled his pillow, but he still felt Obito looking at him. So, he opened his eyes momentarily to give Obito a warm, bright smile even as he said mockingly, confounding the other’s gaze for unrelenting concern for his recovery, “Crybaby. Don’t worry so much. It’s only been two weeks, hasn't it?”

 

~~As he fell under the hazy clutches of sleep, he missed the way Obito’s breath hitched, his red eyes spinning wildly, madly, hungrily taking in at the sight of his smile, the crimson glaze of his Mangenkyo reflecting perfectly on the full, reddened Moon now eternally orbiting the sky.~~

 

~~“I’m glad…Kakashi.” The ten-tailed Jinchurriki repeated, as he sat on the edge of the bed, running his fingers through silvery strands that were no longer red. And would never again be tainted with red.~~

 

~~“I’m so very glad.” That I can see that smile again.~~

 

~~It has been fifteen years after all, since he had last seen it.~~

 

~~\---~~

Owari.

 


End file.
